Gender and climate change: new report delivered in UK House of Commons

Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) will today launch an extensive report in the House of Commons documenting how catastrophe related to climate change will have a much greater impact on women, including in the UK if the Government fails to address gender inequality.The report, entitled ‘Engendering Change’, points out that because of ongoing gender inequality; different social roles; and simple biology, women are more likely to die in extreme weather conditions; suffer from increased workload; and be subject to abuse, including sexual violence, in resource conflicts exacerbated by climate change.

The report will also include data gathered at the 2009 Copenhagen Conference, highlighting the lack of a gender dimension even in the most recent international climate-change negotiations.

“Women are already being disproportionally affected by climate change in many parts of the world,” Bernadette Vallely, founder and chair of WEN, says. “If no action is taken, climate change will exacerbate gender inequality, making it far less likely that the Millennium Development Goals will be met. However, there is also an opportunity. If women have a greater voice in climate-change decision-making, and strong action is taken on gender equality, not only could disastrous climate change be avoided, but we could also see progress towards a more equitable global society.”

WEN is calling on the UK Government to take into account the gendered impacts of climate change; reduce the disproportionate number of women living in poverty; and improve the representation of women in political and business spheres.